Hungary



(No Model.) 5 Sheets-Sheet 1.

A. SATTMANN & A. HOMATSOH. PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING IRON 0R STEEL.

No. 580,427. Patented Apr. 13, 1897.

2 W a azir c E d a -1 1 --r --.-w;; r. I 'I'" (No Model) 5 Sheets-Sheet2.

A. SATTMANN & A. HOMATSCH. PROGESS OF MANUFACTURING IRON 0R STEEL.

No. 580,427. Patented Apr. 13, 1897.

, EfiwggzgorS; c141, 272 23 7/51/1636:

1% Jim Z7 5 Sheets-S heet 3,

(No Model.)

A. SATTMANN & A. HOMATSOH. PROCESS OF MANUFAGTURING IRON 0R STEEL. No.580,427. Patented Apr. 13, 1897.

(No Model.) 5 SheetsSheet 4.

A. SATTMANN & A. HOMATSGH. PROCESS or MANUFACTURING IRON OR STEEL.

No. 680,427. Patented Apr. 13, 1897.

I g 272,2702; mi'scjzf a? 3 5 Sheets-Sheet 5.

. A. SATTMANN & A. HOMATSOH.

PROGESS OF MANUFACTURING IRON 0R STEEL.

No. 580,421 Patented Apr. 13, 1897.,

(No Model.)

fiweiziors: 7152129856; flamdermfimv ALEXANDER SATTMANN AND ANTONHOMATSCH, OE DONAVVITZ, AUSTRIA- HUNGARY.

PROCESS OF MANUFACTURING IRON OR STEEL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 580,427, dated April13, 1897. Application filed June 6, 1893. Serial No. 476,774. (Nospecimens.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, ALEXANDER SATT- MANN and ANTON I-IOMATSOH, subjectsof the Emperor of Austria Hungary, residing at Donawitz, in the Provinceof Styria, in the Empire of Austria-Hungary, have invented certain newand useful Improvements in the Manufacture of Iron or Steel; and we dohereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact descriptionof theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to whichit appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to letters of reference marked thereon, whichI5 form a part of this specification.

Our invention has relation to the manufacture of iron, as well as to themanufacture of steel, direct from the ore.

In the manufacture of malleable iron or steel the ore as a rule hasheretofore been reduced to crude or pig iron in the blast-furnace. Thisoperation involves the consumption of a comparatively expensive fuel,such as charcoal, coke, or anthracite coal, and

where such fuel is not at hand the additional expense of transportationis incurred, either or both of which increase the prime cost of thecrude metal, while the less expensive fuel, such as is usually found inthe vicinity of mines or ore beds or deposits, as coal of inferiorquality, brown coal, lignite, turf, or waste wood, is generally notavailable for use in the blast-furnace.

Our invention has for its object the provi- 3 5 sion of means wherebyfuel of inferior quality,

such as above referred to, may be made available in the manufacture ofiron orin the manufacture of steel direct from the ore; and our saidinvention consists, essentially, in a novel 0 process of melting or ofsmelting and refining or converting, furnaces of special constructionbeing provided whereby the lastnamed operation may be more effectuallycarried out than in the reverberatory furnace by means 5 of decarburizing gaseous agents brought into intimate contact With the crude metal.

The process forming a part of our invention involves the followingsteps: first, the preparing of the ore and fiuxing materials forreduction either by simply preheating said materials or by roasting theore and at the same time heating the fluxing materials; second, thereduction of the ore and the carburization of the spongy metal by meansof a gas eous reducing and carburizing agent; third, the smelting of thespongy carburized metal by means of solid fuel, and, lastly, therefining or converting of the crude metal by means of a gaseousoxidizing agent and its conversion into a more or less decarburizedmetal.

The first and second steps in the process may be carried out by means ofa variety of combustible gases or vapors, as, for instance, natural gasor gas or vapor obtained by the evaporation or volatilization ofvaporizable or volatilizable combustible liquids or gases or vaporsderived from the dry distillation or incomplete combustion of hydrocarbons or other carbonaceous materials, such as the cheaper fuelsabove referred to and found in the vi- 7o cinity of mines or ore beds ordeposits, as coal of inferior quality, brown coal, lignite, &c. On theother hand, the waste gases or products of combustion derived from theoperations of heating or roasting and smelting may be utilized insimilar subsequent operations or for the same purpose in a continuousprocess of heating or roasting, reducing, smelting and refining, orconverting, which is of special advantage when natural gas is notavailable or when gases substantially free from nitrogen cannot beobtained at a reasonable cost.

We have above alluded to the use of gases substantially free fromnitrogen, which is of great importance in our process in that thenitrogen present is not only an absolutelyinert factor producing nouseful result, but, on the contrary, is an absorbent of heat, so thatthe amount of heat absorbed bythe nitrogen is practically lost. Hencethe smaller the proportion of nitrogen in the gaseous combustibles usedthe less loss of heat. Thus in the use of the waste gases resulting fromthe heating or roasting of the ore or in the use of gases derived fromincomplete combustion of 5 such materials or fuels as hereinbeforereferred to for the preheating or roasting and for the reduction of theore and the subsequent carburization of the sponge, which gases containalready considerably less nitroioo gen and more oxygen thanatmosphericair, or before the gas is allowed to come in contact with theheated or roasted ore, we carburet the same, that is to say, we chargeor saturate it with carbon by passing it over, preferably through, abedof incandescent carbonaceous material, not only for the purpose ofcharging or saturatin the gas With carbon, but also for the purpose ofstill further reducing the percentage or proportion of nitrogen in thegas, and forthis purpose the said cheap fuels rich in carbon may also beemployed. The reduction in the percentage of nitrogen in the gases isdue to the absorption by the latter of the oxygen evolved from the ore,the resultant gas containing more oxygen and less nitrogen thanatmospheric air. On the other hand, when said gases are carburized, theproportion of carbon taken up will be equal to the proportion of oxygenpresent, whereby the volumetric percentage of the nitrogen is stillfurther reduced. If such a gas is repeatedly used and each timesubjected to the carbureting or saturating or restoring process referredto, the composition of the gas will finally become a fixed or settledone, as it were, in that nearly if not all the nitrogen combinedtherewith will have been eliminated, a portion of the gas beingnecessarily consumed in generating heat at each use, so that a final gasis obtained that is considerably poorer in nitrogen than even a gasderived from the incomplete combustion of a carbonaceous material orsuch materials as above referred to.

Under certain circumstances the heat necessary to the second step of theprocess, namely, the reduction of the ore, may be derived from solidfuel, in which case there will be a further reduction in the proportionof nitrogen in the resultant or waste gases, the reducing power of whichwill be correspondingly increased, though the operation will necessarilyinvolve the use of the more expensive fuel hcreinbefore referred to,otherwise required for smelting only and which we aim to avoid, yetinasmuch as the spent or waste gases resulting from the use of this moreexpensive fuel may be utilized the expense will be correspondinglyreduced. By the use of gases poor in nitrogen and rich in carbon oxidthe process of reduction is greatly accelerated, while in the subsequentuse of the waste gases for other purposes more favorable results Will beobtained than before, because less heat is lost in the escaping productsof combustion by reason of the small proportion of nitrogen present.

When the ore is roasted in the presence of carbonates, the waste gaseswill become richer in oxygen by reason of the carbonic acid presentbeing converted into carbonic oxid, and if these gases are repeatedlycarburized or saturated with carbon a gas poor in nitrogen will at alltimes be available. By means of these gases the ore is heated and, ifnecessary, roasted and reduced, the sponge being at the same timecarburized.

The third step in our process, namely, the smeltin gof the sponge iseffected immediately after the reduction by means of a deoxidizin g gasderived from the combustion of solid fuel richin carbon. Inasmuch asalarge proportion of the fuel is converted into carbonicacid gas in thevicinity of the blast, it is necessary that the bed of incandescent fuelbetween the sponge and twyers be so proportioned that the major portionof the carbonicacid gas before reaching the sponge will again beconverted into carbon monoxid during its passage through the bed ofincandescent carbonaceous fuel. The temperature obtained in thisoperation is quite sufficient to melt the spongy metal together with theslag present.

The fourth or refining step of the process is carried out by means of anoxidizing flame brought in intimate contact with the molten crude metal,which may be decarburized to an y desired extent, dephosphorized, andfreed from silicon after removal of the slag, so that any foreignsubstance that may still be combined with such crude metal and which itis desirable to remove will be wholly or partially consumed in theoperation of refining.

If the temperature in the collecting-chamber for the crude metal issufliciently high to maintain the metal in a fluid state, more or lessrefined crude iron or ingot iron or steel will be obtained. If, on thecontrary, the temperature in said chamber is below that of themelting-point of the metal, a weldable iron or steel will be obtained.

The process may be carried out intermittingly or continuously, and wehave devised suitable apparatus for either purpose, as illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical sectionalelevation, and Fig. 2 a top plan view, of a construction of smeltingplant suitable for carrying out the first three steps of the process.Fig. 3 is a vertical section of the reducer and smelter. Fig. 4 is asectional end elevation of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a like view illustratingthe combination with the reducer and smelter of a refiner or converter.Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view illustrating the arrangement of thetwyers in the converter. Fig. 6 is a vertical section of a modifiedconstruction of reducer and smelter. Figs. 7 and 9 are vertical sectionsof furnaces adapted for continuous op-- eration; and Figs. 8 and 10 arecross-sections taken, respectively on, lines 00 0c and 00' as of Figs. 7and 9.

Similar symbols refer to like parts whenever such may occur in thefigures of the drawings just described.

Referring now to Figs. 1 to 5, which illustrate a construction of plantfor intermittingly carrying out our process, A indicates a stack thelower portion a of which is gradually contracted from the portion a to,or nearly to, its lower end, and 7) indicates the combustion-chamber,located on one side of the stack A and extending below the hearth athereof to form a sump or reservoir for the molten metal and slag. Thesaid hearth a is, as shown, inclined toward the combustion or smeltingchamber 1) to facilitate the flow of the molten materials from the lowerend of the stack into said chamber. Both the stack A andcombustion-chamber I) are provided with charging-holes at their upperend adapted to. be closed by any usual or other suitable means, as shownat a a, respectively. Furthermore, the stack A is at or near its upperend connected with a gas-exhaust main f, and the eombustion-chamber isat or near its upper end connected with a gas-supply main d. Immediatelyopposite the hearth a is arranged the wind or blast twyer g and a littlebelow the same the slag-hole h, a suitable t-ap-hole i, Fig. 4:, or apassage 1', Fig. 5, leading to the converter or refiner hereinafterdescribed being provided, as well as a manhole 713, Fig. 3, forafiording access to the hearth a and walls of the stack for removal ofmaterial adhering thereto or for effecting repairs.

It has been stated that the crude metal may be more or less refined orconverted immediately after smelting. To this end we combine the smelterwith a converter 0, as shown in Fig. 5, in which case the passage 2"above referred to is so arranged as to constantly keep a body of metalon the hearth or floor a of the smelter to prevent slag and cinder frompassing over into the converter 0. This we effect by means of a tymp n,extendin g across passage 2" below the slag-hole, and by means of abridge m within the converter about on a level with the lower edge ofthe tymp n to keep the passage 2" sealed with molten metal, the hearth aof the smelting'chamber sloping downwardly into the converter beyond thetymp n and then upwardly to the bridgewall on. The face of the verticalwall of the converter-chamberl on the side of the bridge on is stepped,the tread of the successive steps 'm from the bridge m downwardlyincreasing in width, so that the metal will flow in a thin sheet overthe said bridge m, then over the successive steps 102, during which timesuch metal will be exposed to the action of an oxidizing flame obtainedby admitting waste gases from the exhaust-pipe f of the stack throughbranch pipe f intothe converterchamber Z and combining therewith asuitable proportion of air injected into the chan1- ber Z throughblast-twyers j, (see also Fig. 5%) which, as shown, are arranged belowand substantially on a line with the outer edge of each step m and thebridge m, which constitutes the upper step of the series. The

steps on of the converter-wall are cooled by the means of a fluid, ascold air or water, caused to circulate through pipes 19, extendingthrough the steps near the outer edge of their tread, as shown in Fig.5.

V is a-valve in pipe f for controlling or cutting off the supply ofwaste gas to the converter-chamber Z, and 11 is the discharge-gutter forthe refined metal.

'Instead of arranging the combustion and smelting chamber on .one sideof the stack A,

, jets or nozzles connected with the gas-supply main cl, the charge ofore and fluxing material, as well as the solid fuel, being introducedthrough the charging-hole a There are two sets of blast-pipes g 9 theformer being located a little above the slag-hole h, while the latterare arranged above the space c,in which the solid fuel is contained whenthe furnace is in operation, the reduction of the ore taking place inthe lower part a of the ore-space a.

We have stated above that the waste gases from the furnace maybe usedover and over again, but when so used these waste gases are each timecarbureted or saturated with carbon in order to convert the same into are ducing and. carburizing gas. This we accomplish as follows: Thegas-exhaust pipe f has two branches f and f Figs. 1 and 2, connectedwith the injector-casings 0, in which are arranged steam-injectors 0,said casings being connected each with a recuperator r and 0" below thegrate thereof, and the spaces above the grates of said recuperators areconnected by means of branch pipes 02 with the gas-main d, leading tothe upper part c of the combustion-chamben By means of thesteam-injectors 0 and the air-blast g or 9 Fig. 6, in the smellingchamber a circulation of the gases and prodnets of combustion isinsured, and the gasexhaust as well as the gas-supply main are providedwith a branch f 01 respectively, Figs. 1 and 2, by means of which thesurplus gases not needed in the process may be conducted elsewhere andutilized, said branch pipes being in practice provided with suit-- ablecut-off valves. The recuperators r and r are used alternatelythat is tosay, when the bed of incandescent fuel on the grate in one is exhaustedthat on the grate in the other is or has been lighted by injection ofair through pipe r-suitable valves 2: being provided to divert theexhaust-gases from the exhaust-main y" from one into the otherrecuperator, and a suitable valve or valves 1) being provided wherebycommunication between one or the other recuperator and the feed-main (Zmay be cut off or established, as the case may be. The jet of steam frominjector o forces the gases coming from the exhaust-main f into one ofthe recuperators bethe recuperation or conversion of the wastenon-reducing gases into reducing-gases is carried on continuously or aslong as the opera tion of reduction or smelting may last.

The operation in the construction of furnace described is as follows:The stack A having been charged with ore and flux and closed, thesmelting-chamber I) being of course also closed, reducing-gas is thenadmitted through main d and air through twyers g, the gases beingignited by means of sufficient incandescent fuel placed in thesmelting-chamber b or by the heated furnace-walls due to prioroperations. The ignited gases, which are either neutral or oxidizing,according to the proportion of air introduced into the furnace and mixedtherewith, pass through the bed of ore and fluxes,

heat the same, expel the carbonic acid if carbonates are present, andescape through exhaust-pipe f into one of the recuperators. When thecharge of ore in the stack has been brought to acondition for furthertreatment, the volume of air admitted is so regulated that the gassupplied will produce a reducing and carburizing flame. Should any lossin heat occur in consequence of the reduction, a sufficient amount ofsolid fuel is burned along with the air supplied to the smelter. Whenthe reduction of ore is completed, the supply of both air and gas is cutoff and solid fuel is introduced into the smelting-chamber 12, unlessthis has already been done after roasting the ore. Air is now admittedand the resulting heat melts the spongy metal nearest the source of heator on or about the hearth a of the stack A, the mass of ore and fluxesgradually settling as the lower portion thereof is melted and collectsin sump or lower part of chamber b. As the sump or lower portion ofchamber 1) fills the slag and cinders or solid products of combustionfrom the solid fuel are run out through tap-hole h, while the crudemetal, after the charge has 4 been melted, is run off through tap-hole"L, a

fresh charge of ore and fluxes being introduced into chamber a. Thegases resulting from the smelting operation instead of recuperatingthem, as before described, maybe utilized for any other purpose. Thecrude metal obtained may, however, be refined or converted as fast as itis melted by combining with the furnace a converter 0, as above setforth and as shown in Fig. 5. Inasmuch as the converter 0 and theoperation of 0011- verting or refining the crude metal have been fullydescribed hereinabove, it is not necessary to again describe the same,except to say that by means of the described Waste-gas and air supplythe temperature of the crude metal is sufficiently raised to effect thedecarburization. The crude metal and slag remaining on the hearth hafter the charge of ore has been melted and the metal converted ordecarburized are discharged through a special taphole. (Not shown.)

In a furnace of the construction illustrated in Fig. 6 the operation maybe briefly described as follows: The combustion-chamber is firstsupplied with a sufiicient quantity of solid fuel, which in starting isintroduced in a partly incandescent state, a bed of preferablycomminuted ore and fluxes being spread over the fuel, so as to fill upthe furnace to a point a little below the gas-nozzles d, the remainingspace being then filled with ore of any size and fluxing materials,after which the charging-orifice a is closed. A reducing and carburizing gas is then admitted through gas-nozzles 01, together with thenecessary amount of air to support combustion through twyers g Thepreliminary heating or the roasting of the ore is effected in thisfurnace in the same way as in the furnace described in reference toFigs. 1 to 5, the air to support the combustion of the gases beingsupplied, as stated, by twyers g and the air necessary to support thecombustion of the solid fuel through the twyers g.

In either construction of furnace the nature and composition of thefinal product may be varied at will, either by a more or less perfectreduction or the maintenance of suitable temperatures and the consequentmore rapid or slower smelting of the reduced ore and the subsequentconversion of the solid metal.

In Figs. 7 to 10 we have illustrated a construction of smelter designedfor continuous operation. The gas-exhaust pipe f is here arrangedcentrally in the head of the stack A, which is of such construction asto form in its interior the charging and preheating or roasting chamberor space a, the reducingspace 0/, and the smelting-chamber b, one belowthe other in the order named, the solid fuel being fed to thesmelting-chamber 1) through lateral ducts c by means of suitableconveyersp, as shown in Fig. 9, or said smelting-chamber b may belocated on one side of the stack A, as in Figs. 1 and 3, thisconstruction being illustrated in Fig. 7.

As shown in Figs. 7 to 10, the twyers or air-nozzles g are connected bybranch pipes with the air-main g and are interposed between the chargingand preheating or roasting chamber or space a and the reducing chamberor space 01,, as in Fig. 6, while the twyers or air-nozzles g extendinto the gasnozzles 01, arranged between the reducing chamber or space aand the melting-chamber b, as shown in Figs. 7, 8, and 9, saidgasnozzles (1 being connected by branch pipes with the gas-main d.

In the construction of furnace, Figs. 9 and 10, we use a plurality ofblast-twyers g for the smelting-chamber 1), preferably one for eachfuel-duct c, of which we have shown three, (see Fig. 10,) said twyersbeing so ar- IOC IIC

ranged that the direction of blast will be subreference to Figs. 7 to10, as will be readily understood.

The continuous operation is as follows: The smelting-chamber?) issupplied with solid fuel, the combustion being supported by an airblast,preferably hot, supplied through twyers g, the supply of fuel being keptup either automatically by suitable conveyers and feed ducts or trunks,as shown in Fig. 9, or by hand or other supply, Fig. 7, sufficient heatbeing generated to smelt the reduced ore or spongy metal together withthe slag formed during such reduction. This reduction of the ore iseffected not only by the reducing-gases generated in thesmelting-chamber, but by the reducing-gas derived preferably from thewaste gases of the furnace previously carbureted or saturated withcarbon, as described, a due proportion of air being supplied through thenozzles or twyers g, while the material is preheated or prepared forreduction or roasted by the excess of waste heat and by the excess ofunconsumed reducing-gases supplied with a due proportion of air throughthe twyers g the ore and fiuxing material being fed to the stack inproportion as the contents thereof are reduced and melted. It isapparent that here also the nature of the final product may becontrolled or determined, more especially when the furnace isconstructed with automatic solid-fuel feed-trunks 0', whereby thequantity of fuel supplied to the smeltingchamber may be readily varied,so that the process itself is to some extent made independent of thecomposition of the ore used, as well asof the quantity of moisture inthe fuel or other similar incidental conditions.

The advantages of our process over the ordinary blast-furnace processmay be briefly enumerated as follows: first, the substitution for themajor portion of the expensive fuel heretofore used of a cheaperinferior fuel;

second, a material reduction in the consumption of solid fuel,consequently a corresponding reduction in the amount of slag formed, andhence a saving in fiuxing materials and labor; third, the possibility ofdispensing with a separate roasting-furnace, if it be at all necessaryto roast the ore, and the possibility of utilizing the gases evolved inthe operation of roasting for the reduction of the ore; fourth, theoperation with gases poor in nitrogen, possessing considerable heatingand reducing power, by utilizing and recuperating or carbureting thewaste or exhaust gases evolved in the process, using for therecuperation cheap carbonaceous materials; finally, the saving not onlyin fuel and labor, but in the cost of workin g, as compared with thecost of working-gas, tl 1e n carburizing and smelting the resultingcrude iron by means of a reducinggas obtained from these operations andwhich has previouslybeen recuperated, said gas being enriched withcarbonic oxid and its temperature raised by bringing the same intocontact with a body of incandescent solid carbonaceous material isolatedfrom the ore, substantially as set forth.

2. The continuous process which consists in the following steps, to wit:adding a charge of ore to a chamber, treating it therein first with anoxidizing-gas and then with a reducing-gas, recuperating the gasesresulting from these operations utilizing a portion of such recuperatedgases with a reducing-gas obtained from carbonaceous materials in theprocess of reduction carburizing and effecting the smelting of thesponge by the action of the recuperated gases enriched with 'car bonicoxid and whose temperature has been raised by bringing such gases intocontact with an incandescent body of solid fuel isolated from the ore,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. The herein-described process of fining crude metal, which consists incausing the molten metal to fall in a thin sheet through space, andinjecting an oxidizing-gas into such sheet in the direction of itswidth.

4:. The herein-described continuous process, which consists insubjecting the ore to the action of a non-reducing gas and then to theaction of a reducing-gas smelting the resulting sponge by means of adeoxidizing-gas, and fining the crude metal by causing it to fallthrough space in the form of a thin sheet andinjecting an oxidizing-gasinto such sheet in the direction of its width.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

ALEXANDER SATTMANN. ANTON HOMATSGH. Witnesses:

CHARLES SEDLACRESH, A. SoHLEssING.

